Small clothing items, such as socks, are generally left loose among larger clothing items when washed. After being laundered, the clothing items are generally sorted, folded, and stored. For paired items such as socks, the sorting includes matching pairs together, older socks together and newer socks together, which is time consuming. Socks that are neatly folded and paired together in a drawer frequently become separated and disheveled when a person rummages through the drawer to retrieve another item. Commonly, one sock of a pair of socks becomes misplaced or lost. The misplacement of these clothing articles results in consumer costs by way of replacement expenses, time, and frustration. If socks are able to be paired right after wearing, then the disappearance of one of the pair of socks can be prevented and, therefore, reduce consumer costs and alleviate the tiresome task of sorting after laundering.
There are a number of methods which people have come up with in an effort to prevent losing one of the paired items, keeping paired items together during laundry, and managing storage of paired items.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,877 describes a fastener for keeping socks together. The fastener includes a small piece of tape, which is stitched or otherwise secured to a sock. A snap fastener or other connecter is affixed to the tape. In the alternative, the connector (usually a male to female type of connector) may be secured directly to the sock.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,413 describes a method for holding socks in pairs for laundering. Each sock includes a band, which encircles the cuff and is loosely secured thereto by a series of spaced loops, which extend over the band and are secured to the cuff of the sock. The loops may be embroidered on the socks after knitting, or formed during knitting. A retaining strip, including a plurality of loops, is adapted to encircle the bands and keep the socks together. The band additionally acts as a garter and a guide for folding the cuff.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,617 describes a connecting device for detachably joining together two articles of clothing for laundering, such as socks. The connecting device has two similar connecting members each of which is permanently attached to one garment. The connecting members each have a single stud or pair of studs at one end, which pierces one of the garments. Flanges at the opposite end of each member lock the studs in place after the member is folded to secure the garment. Attachment plugs are formed on each connecting member and are snapped together to retain the two garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,853 describes a securing method for keeping socks together. A pair of socks has a pair of fastener patches. The fastener patches are formed of a flexible material such as Velcro hook and pile (or hook and loop) fasteners. The patches may be sewn on to the socks, coated with a thermoplastic, and ironed on or glued on with epoxy cement. The hook patch may have a cover to prevent the patch from sticking to other clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,555 describes a pair of flexible hook and pile strips for adhering each item of an article of clothing pair, such as socks, together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,413 describes a sock-fastening device. The fastening device includes a pair of socks including a first sock and a second sock secured together by a snap-type fastening means. The snap-type fastening means includes a first fastener having a generally circular part that provides a projection and a second fastener having a generally circular part that provides a hole. When not joined to each other, each fastener may be adapted to receive a cover that provides a decorative appearance, and may be used to indicate that the two socks are a pair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,855 describes a hook and loop fastening system for pairing socks, hosiery, and gloves.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,660 describes a sock pairing apparatus including a pair of similar sock clamp assemblies which include similar indicia.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,541 describes a fastener for keeping socks together. The fastener includes a sock having a tab attached along the edge of the sock. The tab and the sock have, on adjacent surfaces, a complementary arrangement of hook and pile patches. The patches can mate with each other so that the tab can be folded down when the sock is being worn and the tab can be mated to each other at other times.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,558 describes a device for attaching clothing articles together. The device includes a flexible strip stitched to the edge of each of a pair of socks. Each flexible strip includes a releasable fastening means such as a snap type fastener, which allows the two strips to be joined together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,318 describes as attachment device for clothing items. The attachment device includes a pair of tabs formed from a strip of cloth or other material. Each tab includes a section of hook fastening elements and a section of loop fastening elements. The tabs can be folded over on themselves while the sock is being worn, and fastened to each other at other times.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,925 describes a magnetic socks holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,524 describes a pair of socks that may be joined together in a detachable fashion. The fastener may be a transparent snap having elements, which are woven, sewn, or pasted onto the leg portions of the respective socks. In the alternative, the snaps (which may also be hooks, or hook and loop Velcro fasteners) may be attached to straps that are knitted into the leg portion of the sock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,590 describes a pair of socks including a connector adapted to attach the socks together. The connector includes first and second members that can be attached to each other on opposite sides of a region of sock fabric. The connectors may include regions that can be marked with indicia.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,294 describes a fastener for mating pairs of clothing items. Each fastener is a snap fastener having a male part, a female part, and two securing parts. Each securing part has a set of prongs, which extend through the material of a tab and the sock. The prongs deform to attach the securing part to the rim of the corresponding male or female part.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,241 describes a fastener for keeping a pair of socks together. The fastener includes a snap fastener, which may be received by a recess in a receptor plate. The snap fastener and receptor plate are each formed from a pair of plates that are attached to each other, through the sock, by a snap press fit. A flexible strap may attach the front and back of each of the plates.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,751 discloses releasably attachable socks in which the cuff of each sock is equipped with a male and a female snap fastener. The snap fasteners can be used to engage complementary snap fasteners on a second sock. Alternatively, the male and female snap fasteners on one sock can be fastened together when the cuff is folded over to conceal the fasteners from view.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,158 describes a clip assembly for matching socks to prevent the socks from being separated. The clip assembly includes a pair of dovetailed tongue and groove panels that can be joined by sliding the tongues on a first panel into the exterior surface of each sock by a pin that penetrates the sock fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,169 describes a device for sorting and storing socks. The device includes male and female clamping elements that can be attached. The clamping elements include marks or other indicia to indicate ownership, color and original match.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,420 describes a fastener for fastening pairs of clothing items, such as socks, together. The fastener includes a first fastening element having at least one fastening projection in a center region, and a second fastening element having at least one opening for receiving the fastening projection. The projection of the first fastening element projects through a cut-out in a first textile label sewn to the first sock. The opening of the second fastening element also projects through a cut-out in a textile label sewn to the second sock.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,694 discloses a sock with first and second openings or channels positioned along the body of the sock. The openings or channels are sized sufficiently to allow a second sock to be threaded through the openings or channel and retained to the sock.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,986 describes a sock, which has a cuff with an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer folded over at a portion of the inner fabric layer. A snap fastener is secured to the inner fabric layer. A slit or opening extends through the outer fabric layer to expose the snap fastener so that the snap fastener can removably engage a complementary snap fastener on a second sock.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,516,901 describes a pair of complementary articles of clothing, such as socks, that can be detachably connected to each other. The detachable connection can be made by first and second complementary connecting elements, which are each fastened to the article of clothing by a carrier element. One of the ends of each carrier element forms a gripping area without a connecting function, so that the connection between the first and the second connecting element can be detached by pulling on the gripping areas of the carrier elements.
The aforementioned methods all have faults and limitations. One of the disadvantages of the preceding inventions is the difficulty of concealing the fastening mechanism from view when the clothing articles are being worn. Another disadvantage of the existing inventions is the direct contact of the skin of the wearer with the fastening device, which can cause skin irritation. A number of prior art methods and devices rely on hook and loop fasteners, hooks, pins, etc., which may snag, pull, or otherwise harm other fabrics. Those prior art devices and methods that rely on loose pieces for keeping paired article of clothing together require that the user not lose the pieces.
For the foregoing reasons, there exists a need to temporarily unite articles of clothing that overcomes the difficulties that have characterized the prior art.
It would be desirable to implement tags for temporarily connecting two items.